By taking a holistic view of systems, processes and organization, operators can transform their telecom management into an integrated business tool for competitive differentiation and efficient operations. To succeed a stepwise methodology to counter growing fragmentation in telecom management is recommended.

Any network transformation should be matched with a corresponding telecom-management transformation. Operators are facing growing, lower-cost competition for their core business. Now is the time to get their management systems working together and contributing to revenue and profitability, rather than acting as a revenue drain.

Effective management systems and processes enable operators to attract and retain customers, and to improve operational readiness and shorten time-to-market for new products and technologies. Effective systems can also reduce operational expenditure by automating and simplifying end-to-end processes, reducing dependency on stand-alone vertical systems and moving to cost-efficient, integrated management based on an architecture with clear roles, responsibilities and interfaces between management domains.

Operators require a telecom management solution that supports network transformation, specifically to the new set of services that next-generation networks will permit. For many operators, the issue will be the maturity of their own organizations and the difficulty of implementing changes that significantly affect the people who work with the existing processes and systems. For this reason it is vital that operators not only have a clear vision but also a clear method for achieving that vision. There must be a fundamental understanding of the need to change, what to change, and how to make it happen.

Telecom management transformation can help operators turn their management systems and processes into an efficient business tool for competitive differentiation and lean operations.